


The Tales of Happiness, Tragedy, and Madness

by Bellamy82, shifting_simp_384



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, BAMF Astoria Greengrass, BAMF Daphne Greengrass, Black Family Drama (Harry Potter), Black Family Feels (Harry Potter), Black Family Madness (Harry Potter), Blaise Zabini is a Good Friend, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Draco Malfoy is a Little Shit, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Good Blaise Zabini, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Malfoy Family (Harry Potter), Good Theodore Nott, Healer Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Third Year, Light Angst, Minor Daphne Greengrass/Pansy Parkinson, Nice Malfoy Family (Harry Potter), Oblivious Draco Malfoy, One Shot, POV First Person, Slytherin, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Theo is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29630139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellamy82/pseuds/Bellamy82, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shifting_simp_384/pseuds/shifting_simp_384
Summary: My name is Joanna Galisteo. As a third year Slytherin at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I am going to be sharing a few (or a lot) of my favorite shifting memories. Yes, Draco Malfoy is one of my best friends. (I hope that was enough to convince you to continue reading) Anyways, enjoy these stories!ps: this is a collab with my friend, Bellamy82, so please check out her works as well!
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass & Daphne Greengrass & Draco Malfoy & Theodore Nott & Blaise Zabini & OC, Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Rocks and Other Harmless Weapons

**Author's Note:**

> hihihi! this is our first fanfic, so please be nice! if you do end up liking it, please tell us what you think in the comments! lots of love!!
> 
> please note that Aquila Black is Sirius' younger sister. she is in the same grade as Draco and Joanna.

The afternoon sun was clouded by dull, gray clouds and sharp, biting winds. Students had begun to pour out of their classes, clustering into groups and looking for places to gather. Joanna ran after Draco and his friends, as they climbed down the Hogwarts hills and onto the shores of the Black Lake. In contrast to his cool, pale skin, the tip of his nose flushed from the temperamental winds; his scarf flowed behind him. Sniffling slightly, he inspected and discarded rock after rock. 

Joanna was fully aware of Draco’s idea of a practical joke, and how he was going to pull one onTheo, but she observed in quiet amusement nonetheless, almost giddy for the inevitable catastrophe to unfold. Draco’s brows wrinkled in concentration as he ran along the shore, at times treading precariously close to the frigid waters. Suddenly, he froze, then, and picked up an obsidian-colored stone roughly the size of a tennis ball. It was oddly round, as if it were polished and immediately discarded. 

Draco inspected it closely, tossing and turning it over in his hands. After a brief moment, he turned back to Joanna, holding the rock above his head, and shouted, “Whatcha’ think?” 

Joanna leaned back onto a large rock, her raven-black hair cascaded in soft waves, spilling rich ink down her back. With her Hogwarts robes flapping in the wind, she studied the rock from afar, and grinned, “Like it’d do some damage.”

Draco nodded in agreement and smirked mischievously, dropping the rock into the pocket of his robes and walking back up the shore. 

The wind tossed and snagged at their hair and scarves as they slowly climbed back up the hill. Neither of them spoke a word as they dragged themselves up the hill. The silence of monstrous, but comforting. Although the winds bit into her skin and made her teeth clater, a warm sensation spread from her chest.

Other students had gathered around the shore by now, and a thin ray of cold sunshine lit up the hill as a feeble welcome. There was something so beautiful about that moment that made Joanna smile to herself and stop in her tracks. Joanna was… grateful. Grateful for her friends, however unsensible they may be at times, and for them, she let the corners of her lips curl into a small smile. It was this. This moment of tranquility and peace; fulfillment and contentment; elation and euphoria, it was bliss in its purest form. 

Through the misty fog, she could just begin to make out the side of the Wooden Bridge and eventually the students in the courtyard. 

Draco paused in his tracks and turned towards her, “You okay?”

She shrugged it off nonchalantly and began catching up to him, “It looks nice today. Weather’s shit, but it’s peaceful. What more could we ask for?”

He huffed in amusement and shook his head, grinning. They resumed the silent tread once more until they entered the dimly-lit Slytherin Common Room. A few of the upperclassmen gave a slight wave of acknowledgment, but no one made any further attempts to converse with them.

Joanna set down her leather bookbag and hurried towards her friends’ usual table in the back of the room. 

Daphne Greengrass and Aquila Black were the only ones there, but they were fiercely exchanging gossip. They whispered into each other’s ears, perfectly oblivious to the Muffliato charm casted around their sitting area. As soon as Aquila spotted Joanna, she gestured for her to sit down beside time.

Joanna rushed over to them and sat down at the table, looking around for any potential eavesdroppers. One could never be too careful in the Slytherin common room. Her eyes searched for the platinum hair among the crowd, but Draco was nowhere to be seen. Despite their absent guest, Aquila didn’t seem to notice… or care. 

She clenched the newspaper so tightly that parts of it were nearly ripped. Joanna cocked her head to look at it and the image of mass murderer, Sirius Black sneered back at her. His unkempt curly, black hair carried madness within its knots. His eyes were so crazed that Joanna was sure it was contagious. 

Aquila jabbed her finger onto the portrait’s face, “Damn him!” she snarled. If the image didn’t make Joanna’s stomach drop, the headline sure did.

_Notorious_ _Death Eater and Murderer Sirius Black Still at Large, Allegedly Revealing His Face at the Late Potters’ House in Godric’s Hollow._

Joanna laid a hand onto Aquila’s shoulder and patted sympathetically. It was bad enough that one of the worst murderers in Britain was on the loose, but for him to be Aquila’s brother... Sirius Black had the audacity to still carry the family surname. His despicable acts sullied the Blacks’ name to the depths of Hell and back. Although no one at school, much less in Slytherin had the nerves to say anything to Aquila’s face, there was no doubt in Joanna’s mind that whispers and notes were passed along, discussing their family drama in concerning detail.

Suddenly, Daphne snatched the paper out of Aquila’s hands and violently crumpled it into a ball, diminishing its size until it resembled a mere pebble. She stalked towards the fireplace and threw the paper ball in with a strength that would make any Chaser proud. The flames gobbled up the paper with eaze. Students glanced at Daphne with raised eyebrows, questioning her sudden burst of anger. Joanna eye’s flickered to the burning ball, and notices that on the back of the paper, there was a picture of the _Falmouth Falcons_ flying at breakneck speed in celebration of their victory against the _Pride of Portree_.

Immediately, she thought of Draco. The Falmouth Falcons are his favorite quidditch team. She couldn’t wait to share the news. Picking up a nearby quill and dipping it in ink, carelessly spilling drops of the liquid over the wooden, antiquated desk, Joanna scribbles on the inside of her arm.

_The Falcons won vs. Portree_

Daphne straightened her blouse with a sense of eliteness and walked back to the table, where Aquila was still standing, staring at the ground in anger, face set, and fists clenched at her side. Joanna chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, “Scotland lost to us, huh?” She walked backwards until she was in front of Daphne and then asked satirically, “On a scale of one to ten, one being not at all, and ten being devastated, how sore is your _dear_ Mr. Nott?”

Aquila looked up, a ghost of a smile hinting at her lips.

Daphne’s chin dropped and glared at Joanna through what seemed to be boredom, “He’s never been huge on Quidditch, but saying he’s upset would be an understatement.”

“I’m waiting for him and Draco to butt heads about it. You know those two can go on for hours,” Joanna replied.

Aquila was still somewhat silent, but she muttered sarcastically, “Joanna, you talk like you can stay out of it.”

“Well, at least I’m relatively unbiased when it comes to England versus Scotland versus Wales or whatever. My team preferences are based purely on skill and uniform design.” Joanna boasted. 

Some of Aquila’s anger had dissolved, but she was still far from her normal self. She had plastered a fake smile to her face and choked out a dry, mirthless laugh. As an observer, Joanna cursed herself and clenched her jaw in frustration. Not at Aquila, but at the entire situation, at Sirius Black, at the students who gossiped about them. Seconds before they left the charmed table, Joanna grabbed Aquila’s arm and faced her with serious eyes. Placing her arms on either side of Aquila’s shoulders, Joanna reassured, “If they’re talking shit, and shit hits the fan, you know what I can do.” She looked around the room, as if challenging someone to well… challenge her. 

Aquila laughed this time, a genuine laugh. She swung her arm around Joanna’s shoulders for a quick embrace before grabbing them and shaking her, “I. Don’t. Need. A. Bodyguard. To. Use. Legilimency. To. Scare. People.” She emphasized each word with a shake of Joanna’s shoulders. 

Daphne quickly pulled them apart, but they all knew that there was no way to stop Joanna from whatever she decided to do, no matter how illegal. Determination shadowed her deep blue eyes, them into an ocean of fury.

As Draco appeared in Joanna’s line of sight, she remembered to tell her friends of Draco’s simple, but devious plan. “Speaking of Theo, Draco and I went down to the sea to find a rock. He wants to glamour it as a paper ball to throw at Theo… Get him to overreact, piss off the teachers, get a good laugh out of it,” Joanna explained with a sigh.

As if reading her mind, Aquila responded with an incredulous look and said, “... Why? These boys never cease to surprise,” she added with an exasperated shake of her head.

Joanna ran to Draco and looked at him excitedly. He quirked a brow and smirked in confusion, “What-”

She cut him off with a chaotic and messy string of words as she backed out of the common room, “Falcons won against Portree, and Theo’s kinda mad, and he’s probably going to be mad for a while so good luck, be happy, and I’ll see you later, okay, bye!”

She didn’t give him a chance to react before running out of the room, up the stairs, and into her dorm, not realizing that she had forgotten her bag and would have to retrieve it later. 

  
  


For the next few days, Draco spent every free minute he had marveling over the black stone and practicing different glamouring spells on it. Whenever Joanna asked, he always responded that he was “almost at a breakthrough” or that she just needed to “give him a few more minutes.” 

Eventually, one morning, Draco raced up to her dorm and gave quick succession of knocks to the door before calling her name over and over. When Joanna opened the door, he was giddy with boyish excitement as he presented to her, a crumpled paper ball. She tossed her head back and laughed, weighing the unnaturally heavy paper ball in her hands. 

They waited until Potions as Professor Snape had a preference for Slytherin students, and wouldn’t get nearly as angry as McGonagall or Sprout. Joanna sat diagonally behind Draco, providing herself with a clear view of the soon-to-be crime scene. Draco, who had purposefully sat directly behind Theo, was beginning to crumple up pieces of paper and toss them at him. Vengeance had never been so apparent in Theo’s eyes as he repeatedly pretended to stretch, and in the process, would push Draco’s books off his desk. Time seemed to slow as Draco took his beloved project out of his bag, coiling his arm back, he chucked it at Theo’s half-turned, unexpecting stomach.

In a fraction of a second, Theo clutched his side, doubled-over, and yelped. The “paper ball” rolled onto the floor and out of sight. Professor Snape was anything but oblivious to Draco’s prank, but he barely acknowledged Theo’s misery and screams. On the other hand, half of the Gryffindor students turned their heads and some snickered at the sight. 

Professor Snape looked at Draco and said in a monotonous voice, “Mr. Malfoy, you are dismissed from this class, please escort Mr. Nott to the hospital wing… and do make haste.” 

Joanna was barely able to hold in her laughter as Draco pretended to be devastated by the news that he was being kicked out of class.

“Oh... shit.”

One chuckle escaped, she covered her mouth with her arm and pretended to have a coughing fit. Professor Snape noticed her poorly-hidden glee and sighed once more, “Miss Galisteo, you too, are dismissed.”

She stared back at him in disbelief, “I didn’t even do anything!”

Professor Snape didn’t show a single sign of mercy as he countered, “I am sure you did something, considering your previous involvement with Mr. Malfoy’s… conspiracies.”

Joanna pursed her lips into a thin line as she grabbed her bag and walked out of the classroom, her laughter echoing through the halls. 

fin* 


	2. Young, Foolish Delights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joanna's background and past part 1/2

Born into a high-class British pureblood family, I spent most of my life in solitude. Being alone was fine, I suppose. Just imagine living alone at ten years old. Not everyone’s dream, but not everyone’s nightmare either. As an energetic toddler, I would often accidentally bump into house elves and bother the maids, but I was a Quidditch player. Yes, I was a Chaser for the Ballycastle Bats, and I was about to score. I still have the toy broom my father bought me for my birthday. Mother hated my flamboyance and interests in “boyish” activities. She always spoke with a gentle tone and carried herself with elegance. She was the quintessence of a proper lady, and I was anything but. 

To my mother’s delight, I took a particular liking to music. When I was six, I started playing the violin and I never stopped. It was the only thing that both calmed me down and riled me up. A few years ago, I performed for a Muggle government gathering in Germany. I was giddy with delight, but my grandfather held my hand up until I walked onto stage and perpetually told me to be careful. I would have held him for a little longer if I had known that his last day would come so quickly. 

\---

The First Wizarding War threw the entire magical population into absolute pandemonium. Families fled Britain faster than the Ministry could keep track (not that they were particularly good at record keeping), and I was among the bunch, sent by my frantic grandfather. He ushered me away to a school in America, to the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

My mother and father didn’t take sides during the war, but they helped their friends. One time, a man and a woman, both with long blond hair, came to our house and talked to my parents. The four of them went on and on about politics and the Ministry. 

Before I started primary school, my parents were killed by ministry officials in what was supposed to be a mass arrest of active Death Eaters. Grandfather fought the government mercilessly, utilizing each and every drop of power to our family’s name. He’s only gotten busier and busier for years leading up to his death. At my parents’ funeral, the same blond couple stood with me. Scarcely anyone was there; it was a private affair. 

Although I was away for years, I knew deep down that I would one day return to Britain. Afterall, it is my true home, my parents’ home, and my family’s home, going hundreds of years before me. Even though American witches and wizards were quite likable and disregarding of blood status, they made comments, still, about race and physical appearance. Yet, they still boasted their abandonment of tradition and appreciation for “modern magical culture.” 

I spent my days tucked away in the corners of a dusty library, carefully flipping through the worn-out pages of a copy of A Magic History of . I caught my family’s name in there a few times in chapters about inventions and controversial rulers. The encyclopedia also detailed both England and Hogwarts in vivid imagery. I would paint pictures in my head of what the castle would look like under the moonlight; how its enchanted ceiling would sparkle like dew under an early morning sun. The school held a certain air of ancient power and sacredness. 

In the summer before my third year, I returned to England and enrolled at Hogwarts. Day after day, I tirelessly researched British Magic history. I studied family trees and familiarized myself with present-day grudges, rivalries, and… the war. 

The wretched, cruel war. 

In contrast to America’s normalized integration of squibs and muggle-born students into society, I found that old British families were selective of their children’s friends and fraternized only with others similar to them. There was a great level of elitism and gate-keeping around the lives of the Purebloods. On the other hand, muggle-borns and certain half-bloods also spoke of pure-bloods with apparent disgust. It was bigotry on every level of the hierarchy, and it was apparent that the societal hatred had only intensified over the past few years. 

Deep down, I knew that it didn’t matter where I landed on the complex hierarchy. I would always be hated by someone, most likely for my surname. 

But, a foolish part of me still wished otherwise. 

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! stay tuned for the next part!


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